Former Torquay resident appointed top cop

A FORMER Torquay local has made history as the first woman appointed commissioner of the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

In early October, Krissy Barrett will become the ninth AFP commissioner, after a more than 20-year career in law enforcement that has seen her lauded for her leadership, including through the Bali bombings investigation and while serving in the Solomon Islands.

Announcing her ascension in Canberra earlier this month, Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said Barrett was the clear choice to replace outgoing commissioner Reece Kershaw, who is preparing to step down into retirement after six years in the top job.

“The Prime Minister and I both immediately had the same name in mind,” he said.

“We have been well served by Reece Kershaw as commissioner, and we can all look forward to the service that will come to us by Krissy Barrett as the next commissioner of the Australian Federal Police.”

Barrett, who has been deputy commissioner since 2024, has been appointed for a five-year term.

“I never imagined that one day I would be leading this very fine organisation,” she said.

“I promise I will be your champion. I promise I will do this uniform proud for you. And to every Australian, I will be devoted to protecting you and our way of life. And I commit to working as hard as I can every single day, like every AFP commissioner before me.”

The Oberon High School alumnus revealed to this masthead in 2022 that she initially wanted to be a lawyer and was “devastated” when she fell short of her wish to study law at university by a single mark.

Advised by a career counsellor at the time to “suck it up” and move “onto plan B”, she started a criminal justice degree with the intention of transferring into law later.

Instead, she fell in love with the field. A 12-week internship with the AFP sealed the deal: she joined the national law enforcement agency at the age of 21, taking the role of an administration assistant.

“Things didn’t quite go the way I was planning them to go, but in hindsight, everything worked out how it should,” Barrett said.

“There’s nothing I would change, because all of those experiences have shaped me to be the person that I am both personally and professional today, and now being in a job I think I’m the luckiest person in the world to be doing.”